Happy 66th Birthday to the 1. FC Köln!

It doesn’t seem common here to know the actual date of the founding of sports franchise.

Heck, I couldn’t even tell you the year in which any of my beloved Detroit teams were founded. I know they’re all relatively old compared to many of the members of the bloated leagues, but I’d be lying if I pretended I knew. The Detroit Tigers started playing in the American League in 1901, but they’re older than that. I only remember the 1901 because it’s easy to remember. Such dates are clearly not held in importance here. Or, if they are, it’s unbeknownst to me.

I DO know 1. FC Köln was founded in 1948, if largely because several people daily tweet at 7:48 p.m. German time that it’s “19:48” and hash-tag it with #Effzeh. It’s an effective way to have it pounded into your memory. Follow a bunch of fans on Twitter and you, too, will have it memorized in no time.

The February 13th part? Well, it’s the day before Valentine’s Day. Not hard to remember.

Hence, I’m fully aware today is the 66th birthday of the club I’ve come to adore.

Happy Birthday! All the best. Let’s celebrate some of the upcoming birthdays in Europe, shall we?